Web Scraper Chrome Extension



Scraper is a chrome extension for scraping simple web pages. It is a free web scraping tool which is easy to use and allows you to scrape a website’s content and upload the results to Google Docs or Excel spreadsheets. It can extract data from tables and convert it into a structured format. Extract data from verified sources through the Chrome browser with our unique point-and-click functionality. For the first time, you can scrape and structure data from various sources without installing learning tools. Install our Free Web Scraper. Streamline your workflow as per your timelines. Web scraper has a chrome extension and cloud extension. For chrome extension, you can create a sitemap (plan) on how a website should be navigated and what data should be scrapped. The cloud extension is can scrape a large volume of data and run multiple scraping tasks concurrently. You can export the data in CSV, or store the data into Couch DB. Web data extraction tool implemented as chrome extension - ispras/web-scraper-chrome-extension.

Web scraping is the best method to gather data from websites. Scraping tools such as Web Scraper help users to scrape websites easily. In this post we will show you how to scrape data using the Web Scraper Chrome Extension.

Prerequisites

  • Google Chrome Browser – You will need to download the Chrome browser. The extension requires Chrome 49+.
  • Web Scraper Chrome Extension – The Web Scraper extension can be downloaded from the Chrome Web Store. After downloading the extension you will see a spider icon in your browser toolbar.
Read More :Learn to Scrape Amazon Reviews and more using Chrome

Creating a Sitemap

After downloading the Web Scraper Chrome extension you’ll find it in developer tools and see a new toolbar added with the name ‘Web Scraper’. Activate the tab and click on ‘Create new sitemap, and then ‘Create sitemap‘. Sitemap is the Web Scraper extension name for a scraper. It is a sequence of rules for how to extract data by proceeding from one extraction to the next. We will set the start page as the cellphone category from Amazon.com and click ‘Create Sitemap’. The GIF illustrates how to create a sitemap:

Navigating from root to category pages

Right now, we have the Web Scraper tool open at the _root with an empty list of child selectors

Click ‘Add new selector’. We will add the selector that takes us from the main page to each category page. Let’s give it the id category, with its type as link. We want to fetch multiple links from the root, so we will check the Multiple box below. The ‘Select button’ gives us a tool for visually selecting elements on the page to construct a CSS selector. ‘Element Preview’ highlights the elements on the page andData Preview’ pops up a sample of the data that would be extracted by the specified selector.

Click select on one of the category links and a specific CSS selector will be filled on the left of the selection tool. Click one of the other (unselected) links and the CSS selector should be adjusted to include it. Keep clicking on the remaining links until all of them are selected. The GIF below shows the whole process on how to add a selector to a sitemap:

A selector graph consists of a collection of selectors – the content to extract, elements within the page and a link to follow and continue the scraping. Each selector has a root (parent selector) defining the context in which the selector is to be applied. This is the visual representation of the final scraper (selector graph) for our Amazon Cellphone Scraper:

Here the root represents the starting URL, the main page for Amazon Cellphone. From there the scraper gets a link to each category page and for each category, it extracts a set of product elements. Each product element, extracts a single name, a single review, a single rating, and a single price. Since there are multiple pages we need the next element of the scraper to go into every page available.

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Running the scraper

Click Sitemap to get a drop-down menu and click Scrape as shown below

The scrape pane gives us some options about how slowly Web Scraper should perform its scraping to avoid overloading the web server with requests and to give the web browser time to load pages. We are fine with the defaults, so click ‘Start scraping’. A window will pop up, where the scraper is doing its browsing. After scraping the data you can download it by clicking the option ‘Export data as CSV’ or save it to a database.

Read More :Scrape Social Media websites using Chrome

Download the Data

To download the scraped data as a CSV file that you can open in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, go to the Sitemap drop down > Export as CSV > Download Now.

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Disclaimer:Any code provided in our tutorials is for illustration and learning purposes only. We are not responsible for how it is used and assume no liability for any detrimental usage of the source code. The mere presence of this code on our site does not imply that we encourage scraping or scrape the websites referenced in the code and accompanying tutorial. The tutorials only help illustrate the technique of programming web scrapers for popular internet websites. We are not obligated to provide any support for the code, however, if you add your questions in the comments section, we may periodically address them.

Some websites can contain a very large amount of invaluable data.

Stock prices, product details, sports stats, company contacts, you name it.

If you wanted to access this information, you’d either have to use whatever format the website uses or copy-paste the information manually into a new document. Here’s where web scraping can help.

What is Web Scraping?

Web scraping refers to the extraction of data from a website. This information is collected and then exported into a format that is more useful for the user. Be it a spreadsheet or an API.

Although web scraping can be done manually, in most cases, automated tools are preferred when scraping web data as they can be less costly and work at a faster rate.

But in most cases, web scraping is not a simple task. Websites come in many shapes and forms, as a result, web scrapers vary in functionality and features.

If you want to find the best web scraper for your project, make sure to read on.

How do Web Scrapers Work?

Automated web scrapers work in a rather simple but also complex way. After all, websites are built for humans to understand, not machines.

First, the web scraper will be given one or more URLs to load before scraping. The scraper then loads the entire HTML code for the page in question. More advanced scrapers will render the entire website, including CSS and Javascript elements.

Then the scraper will either extract all the data on the page or specific data selected by the user before the project is run.

Ideally, the user will go through the process of selecting the specific data they want from the page. For example, you might want to scrape an Amazon product page for prices and models but are not necessarily interested in product reviews.

Lastly, the web scraper will output all the data that has been collected into a format that is more useful to the user.

Most web scrapers will output data to a CSV or Excel spreadsheet, while more advanced scrapers will support other formats such as JSON which can be used for an API.

What Kind of Web Scrapers are There?

Web scrapers can drastically differ from each other on a case-by-case basis.

For simplicity’s sake, we will break down some of these aspects into 4 categories. Of course, there are more intricacies at play when comparing web scrapers.

  • self-built or pre-built
  • browser extension vs software
  • User interface
  • Cloud vs Local
Instant web scraper chrome extension

Self-built or Pre-built

Just like how anyone can build a website, anyone can build their own web scraper.

However, the tools available to build your own web scraper still require some advanced programming knowledge. The scope of this knowledge also increases with the number of features you’d like your scraper to have.

Web Scraper Chrome Extension

On the other hand, there are numerous pre-built web scrapers that you can download and run right away. Some of these will also have advanced options added such as scrape scheduling, JSON and Google Sheets exports and more.

Browser extension vs Software

In general terms, web scrapers come in two forms: browser extensions or computer software.

Browser extensions are app-like programs that can be added onto your browser such as Google Chrome or Firefox. Some popular browser extensions include themes, ad blockers, messaging extensions and more.

Web scraping extensions have the benefit of being simpler to run and being integrated right into your browser.

Web Scraper Chrome Extension Github

However, these extensions are usually limited by living in your browser. Meaning that any advanced features that would have to occur outside of the browser would be impossible to implement. For example, IP Rotations would not be possible in this kind of extension.

On the other hand, you will have actual web scraping software that can be downloaded and installed on your computer. While these are a bit less convenient than browser extensions, they make up for it in advanced features that are not limited by what your browser can and cannot do.

User Interface

The user interface between web scrapers can vary quite extremely.

For example, some web scraping tools will run with a minimal UI and a command line. Some users might find this unintuitive or confusing.

On the other hand, some web scrapers will have a full-fledged UI where the website is fully rendered for the user to just click on the data they want to scrape. These web scrapers are usually easier to work with for most people with limited technical knowledge.

Web Scraper Chrome Extension Reddit

Some scrapers will go as far as integrating help tips and suggestions through their UI to make sure the user understands each feature that the software offers.

Cloud vs Local

From where does your web scraper actually do its job?

Local web scrapers will run on your computer using its resources and internet connection. This means that if your web scraper has a high usage of CPU or RAM, your computer might become quite slow while your scrape runs. With long scraping tasks, this could put your computer out of commission for hours.

Additionally, if your scraper is set to run on a large number of URLs (such as product pages), it can have an impact on your ISP’s data caps.

Cloud-based web scrapers run on an off-site server which is usually provided by the company who developed the scraper itself. This means that your computer’s resources are freed up while your scraper runs and gathers data. You can then work on other tasks and be notified later once your scrape is ready to be exported.

This also allows for very easy integration of advanced features such as IP rotation, which can prevent your scraper from getting blocked from major websites due to their scraping activity.

What are Web Scrapers Used For?

By this point, you can probably think of several different ways in which web scrapers can be used. We’ve put some of the most common ones below (plus a few unique ones).

  • Scraping site data before a website migration
  • Scraping financial data for market research and insights

The list of things you can do with web scraping is almost endless. After all, it is all about what you can do with the data you’ve collected and how valuable you can make it.

Read our Beginner's guide to web scraping to start learning how to scrape any website!

The Best Web Scraper

So, now that you know the basics of web scraping, you’re probably wondering what is the best web scraper for you?

Website Scraper Chrome Extension

The obvious answer is that it depends.

The more you know about your scraping needs, the better of an idea you will have about what’s the best web scraper for you. However, that did not stop us from writing our guide on what makes the Best Web Scraper.

Instant Data Scraper For Chrome

Of course, we would always recommend ParseHub. Not only can it be downloaded for FREE but it comes with an incredibly powerful suite of features which we reviewed in this article. Including a friendly UI, cloud-based scrapping, awesome customer support and more.

Web Scraper (chrome Extension) Youtube

Want to become an expert on Web Scraping for Free? Take ourfree web scraping courses and become Certified in Web Scraping today!





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